Reversing Diabetes by Dr Neal Barnard

[Carina1962]

Has anyone read this book? i am reading it at the moment. I don't think i can become a total vegetarian but i am now visiting my health food shop more often and making some changes in my diet like, for example, having some 'vegetarian' cheese and vegge bacon and sausages for a change instead of 'normal' ones and being more aware of cutting out dairy products. Has anyone tried doing this and have they found any change in their BS levels?

 

[wallycorker]

Has anyone read this book? i am reading it at the moment. I don't think i can become a total vegetarian but i am now visiting my health food shop more often and making some changes in my diet like, for example, having some 'vegetarian' cheese and vegge bacon and sausages for a change instead of 'normal' ones and being more aware of cutting out dairy products. Has anyone tried doing this and have they found any change in their BS levels?

Hi Carina,

I found the book a great read and very inspirational. I started off my improvement programme by largely following the guidelines in Dr Barnard's book. Things certainly happened to me just like it said they would in the book. For a while, I was eating an almost vegan diet.

However, at the same time I started calorie counting to lose weight and because of doing that I cut out a lot of carbohydrate out of my diet - in particular cereals, bread and potatoes.

However, with the benefit of hindsight, I now consider that most of my massive improvement came out of cutting the carbohydrate - especially the starchy carbohydrates such as cereals, bread, potatoes, pasta and rice. Certainly, that is what I do these days and my condition continues to improve with every test taken.

Best wishes - John

 

[Carina1962]

hello Wallycorker, if i remember correctly, aren't you the one who has a really inspirational story about how you have dealt with your diabetes? i'm sure i read one of your posts and it really inspired me. I have nearly finished reading the book and it has made me think about my diet in general, i would never have thought about cutting out dairy products etc but i am now sort of part-vegetarian, i can't give up meat completely and i'm not strong enough to be a vegan but the small changes i am making i think will help me in the long run, at least i hope so 🙂

 

[dodd4721]

Dr Neal Barnard Diet

I have read the Reverse Diabetes Diet book but cannot believe he recommends Veggie Burgers, sausages, Bacon etc, the list of ingredients in most of these products looks far from healthy! 😱surely these can't be good for you?
He also states fat inside Cells interferes with Insulins action but the Budwig protocol of Flax oil and cottage cheese is supposed to make the Cell walls elastic when they have been made rigid and impermeable by Trans Fats.

 

[rustee2011]

I have read this book, and it inspired me! I have cut down on a lot of meat, and I eat a lot more fruit and veg. I cut out the fizzy drinks too. I have lost quite a bit of weight and feel healthier too.

 

[wallycorker]

hello Wallycorker, if i remember correctly, aren't you the one who has a really inspirational story about how you have dealt with your diabetes? i'm sure i read one of your posts and it really inspired me. I have nearly finished reading the book and it has made me think about my diet in general, i would never have thought about cutting out dairy products etc but i am now sort of part-vegetarian, i can't give up meat completely and i'm not strong enough to be a vegan but the small changes i am making i think will help me in the long run, at least i hope so 🙂

Hi again Carina,

Yes - we have met before on this forum but I don't visit any of the diabetes forums very often these days because I find them very strange places indeed to hang out.

I found the book inspirational and it got me on the right path with big improvements in blood glucose levels almost immediately.

That book - and others too - also started me off testing seven years after my Type 2 diagnosis and that was against my GP's advice. I bought my strips off eBay.

I don't follow the low fat approach any longer because once I started testing I quickly learnt to "eat to my meter". However, I am a big believer that what makes the difference is getting rid of the intercelluar fat which "clogs up the lock" as Dr Barnard describes things and doesn't let the insulin do it's work properly. Ayway, that's a simplified summary of what I remember Dr Neal Barnard describing but I haven't been near his book for some time now.

The book certainly got me on the right path.

By the way, I'm still doing just fine. I've put quite a lot of my weight loss back on but I've been off metformin for a long time now and manage my blood glucose levels without any real problem. My last HbA1c was at 5.7% where it has been for about three years now.

Not bad for someone who is more than 11 years into his Type 2 diabetes and once had an HbA1c of 9.4% and was taking 2,000mg of metformin per day!

Best wishes - john

 

[wallycorker]

I have read this book, and it inspired me! I have cut down on a lot of meat, and I eat a lot more fruit and veg. I cut out the fizzy drinks too. I have lost quite a bit of weight and feel healthier too.

Hi Rustee,

It sounds as though Dr Barnard may have got you moving down the right road!

My advice would be not to take anything you read as black and white because you will eventually find that there are a lot of grey areas in dealing with Type 2 diabetes.

Mainly, I advise Type 2s to start testing - even if you have to buy your own strips - and then, after that, start eating to what your meter tells you. Doing that took me away from eating much of the starchy carbohydrate that the healthcare professionals tell us is good for us. I say don't believe them! I don't eat cereals at all these days, also I eat very little bread and potatoes - I mean very little! If I eat potatoes then I eat them as chips because I find that they affect my blood glucose levels much less than mashed or boiled potatoes - I think that it is the fat in them that prevents my blood glucose levels soaring.

Good luck with your improvement programme. I hope that you will be able to get to the situation that I have got to!

Best wishes - John

 

[Carina1962]

Hello Wallycorker, nice to hear from you again 🙂 that is spooky, i was only just thinking about you and about to post a thread asking how you were as i hadn't heard or seen you on DUK for quite a while but glad you are doing well still and it just shows that with determination you can control the D - the fact is not to ignore it which sadly a lot of diagnosed people do

My biggest problem at the moment is that my cholesterol is being stubborn and will not go down as much as it should do but will discuss this with my GP next week.

My last HBAIC rose slightly but i am not surprised as it was after Xmas and i know i wasn't 100% in control over that period of time but am now back on track, have joined Slimming World in the quest to lose a few stones, i go to the gym 2 - 3 times a week and am now aiming to lower my HBAIC in time for my next review which will be in July. I have a goal to keep motivated as in Sept this year i have my holiday of a lifetime booked for my big 50th birthday this year 🙂

 

[rustee2011]

Thanks Wallycorker for the encouragement. I am considering dropping potatoes from my menu, as I think I eat a bit too much of them. I do prefer to have oven chips instead. I will probably cut down on the bread, and just stick to rye bread.
I will make small changes little by little.

 

[HOBIE]

Would love to have the chance to reverse 😎😉😎😉

 

[HOBIE]

How is it going Carina ? Are you still following the book ?

 

[HOBIE]

Thanks Wallycorker for the encouragement. I am considering dropping potatoes from my menu, as I think I eat a bit too much of them. I do prefer to have oven chips instead. I will probably cut down on the bread, and just stick to rye bread.
I will make small changes little by little.

How are you getting on Rustee ?

 

[HOBIE]

Some good posts ! 🙂

 

[HOBIE]

Another Bump ! 😉